Make Risotto

Risotto is a type of Italian rice dish that is cooked in broth until it's nice and creamy. Risotto is especially popular with veggies like mushrooms or seafood, but it can be tasty with a number of ingredients. If you want to know how to make risotto like a master chef, just follow these steps.

Ingredients

Vegetable Risotto

• 1 small white onion
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp. saffron threads
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup string beans
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup mushrooms
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. dill
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Mushroom Risotto

• 1 small chopped white onion
• 1 box risotto rice
• 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
• 1 half stick of butter
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of onion soup
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Seafood Risotto

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (8-oz.) bottle clam juice
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/8 tsp. crushed saffron threads
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 4 oz. medium shrimp
• 4 oz. bay scallops
• 2 tbsp. whipped cream
• 3 tbsp. chopped parsley

Steps

Vegetable Risotto

1. Sauté one chopped small white onion in 2 tbsp. of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. The saucepan should be 2-3 quarts large. Cook the onion and stir it occasionally with a wooden spoon until it appears translucent.
2. Pour 1.5 cups of Aroborio rice into the saucepan. Stir the rice to mix it in with the onions. Let the rice toast in the pan for a minute or two -- it will absorb the flavor from the onions.
3. Heat 3 cups of chicken broth in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Heat it to a gentle simmer. Crumble 1/4 tbsp. of saffron threads into the broth.
4. Use a ladle to add a cup or two of simmering broth to the rice. Then, stir the rice until it has absorbed the broth. Keep adding broth to the rice and stirring; this cooking technique helps bring the starch out of the rice to combine with the broth for the creamy texture typical of a classic risotto. Add about 3/4 of the broth to the risotto.
5. Cook the risotto for 15-20 minutes. Then, start tasting the risotto between additions of broth to see if it's done. When it's done, the individual rice grains should still be distinguishable, and their texture should be slightly firm (al dente), but not at all crunchy.
6. Add the remaining ingredients to the risotto. Add 1 tbsp. of butter, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of cooked string beans, 1/4 cup of cooked peas, and 1/4 cup of cooked Portobello mushrooms to the risotto. Add salt and pepper to taste. The risotto should be rich, creamy, fragrant, and a beautiful golden color.
7. Serve. Serve the risotto in wide, shallow serving bowls with additional Parmesan cheese grated on top.

Mushroom Risotto

1. Place one small chopped white onion and half a stick of butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until it's translucent.
2. Place one 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms in the mixture. Sauté the mushrooms with the onions. Continue to cook these ingredients together until the onions are caramelized.
3. Add 1 box of risotto rice, one spoonful of cream of onion soup, and one spoonful of cream of mushroom soup to the mixture. Then, add 1/2 cup of milk and stir the ingredients together until the milk is absorbed. Turn up the heat to medium-high as you continue to stir the ingredients.
4. Add more milk to the risotto until it's no longer firm. Add up to 1/2 cup more milk to the risotto, until it's nice and creamy. If it's ready as it is, then don't add more milk. Cook the risotto for at least 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve. Spoon the risotto into a bowl and top it with 1/2 a cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Seafood Risotto

1. Make the broth mixture. Bring 2 cups of chicken broth and one 8 oz. bottle of clam juice to a simmer. Do not boil it -- just keep it warm over low heat.
2. Melt 2 tbsp. of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add 1/4 cup chopped shallots to the pan. Cook them for 2 minutes or until they're tender, stirring frequently as you do so.
4. Add 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice and 1/8 tsp. crushed saffron threads to the pan. Stir constantly as you cook the ingredients for 30 seconds.
5. Add 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice to the pan. Cook it and stir for 15 seconds.
6. Stir in 1/2 cup of the broth mixture. Cook it for 2 minutes or until the liquid is almost absorbed. Continue to stir.
7. Add the rest of the broth mixture. Keep adding it 1/2 cup at a time, until each portion is absorbed in the rice. This should take about 18-20 minutes.
8. Stir in 1/2 cup of halved grape tomatoes. Cook them for one minute.
9. Stir in the seafood. Stir in 3 oz. of medium shrimp and 4 oz. of bay scallops. The shrimp should be peeled and deveined before you stir them in. Cook the seafood risotto for 4 minutes or until the shrimp and scallops are done. Continue to stir while the ingredients mix together.
10. Remove the seafood from the heat. Stir in 2 tbsp. of whipped cream.
11. Serve. Sprinkle this tasty seafood risotto with 3 tbsp. chopped parsley and enjoy it as a main course.

Other Risotto

1. Make Pumpkin Risotto This pumpkin-based risotto can be enjoyed on its own or with chicken or beef.
2. Make Tomato Risotto This tomato-based risotto is hearty on its own.
3. Make Vegetarian Risotto This risotto is filled with a variety of vegetables, such as zucchini, peas, and pumpkin.
4. Make Risotto With Artichokes If you're an artichoke lover, then this tasty rich risotto is perfect for you.

Video

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Tips

• For "risotto alla primavera," leave out the saffron threads, and add a cup of mixed vegetables towards the end of the cooking time--shelled peas, diced zucchini, chopped asparagus spears, or chopped fresh artichoke hearts all make nice additions. Add some chopped fresh basil, grated lemon zest, and/or fresh lemon juice when the risotto has finished cooking.
• Don't be afraid to stir in that last pat of butter when the risotto is done. This is a traditional step in making risotto, called "mantecare," and it really makes the risotto taste rich and delicious!
• This recipe makes a type of risotto from Northern Italy called "risotto alla Milanese," traditionally served as a side dish alongside a braised veal dish called "osso buco." You can easily adapt the basic recipe to create a different kind of risotto. Here are a few suggestions:
• It's worth shelling out for a piece of real Italian Parmesan cheese labeled "aged Parmigiano-Reggiano." Less expensive hard cheeses called Romano or Grana Padano are often sold as Parmesan in this country, but they don't have the same complex flavor as real Parmesan cheese.
• Don't wash the rice before adding it, or you'll lose the precious starch coating the rice grains.
• Try replacing 1/2 to 1 cup of the broth in the recipe with dry white wine for a more complex flavor. Use a good-quality wine; never cook with anything you wouldn't drink.
• The recipe calls for Arborio rice, since this is the most easily available risotto rice in American supermarkets, but you can use any short-grain Italian rice labeled "superfino"--Vialone Nano is another type of superfino rice you might find in the supermarket or specialty store. It is important to use only superfino rice, since it has the texture and high starch content necessary to make a creamy, authentic risotto.
• For the best saffron flavor, toast the saffron threads in a small saucepan for a minute over medium heat before crumbling them and adding them to the broth. Don't use powdered saffron, as the real, expensive saffron is often mixed with cheaper yellow spice powders, such as turmeric or safflower.
• For "risotto ai funghi," leave out the saffron threads, and while the risotto is cooking, sauté some chopped wild mushrooms in butter in a separate pan over medium-high heat until they are browned and any liquid put out by the mushrooms has evaporated. Stir in the mushrooms when the risotto is done, and season with about 1/4 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme. If you have access to truffles, drizzle the risotto with black or white truffle oil when it's done, or shave some fresh truffle over the top. (Italians also store their dry superfino rice with truffles so it will absorb the truffle flavor.)
• For "risotto alla zucca," peel, deseed, and chop a small winter squash such as butternut or acorn squash, add the pieces of squash to the onions in Step 1, season with about 1/4 teaspoon powdered or freshly grated nutmeg and about 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon, and sauté until the pieces of squash are tender before adding the rice. Some of the pieces of squash will fall apart completely, so the finished risotto will be lush and sweet and a beautiful golden or orange color. Leave out the saffron threads from the recipe.

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